AMERICAN DREAM DERAILED FAMILY ENDED UP LIVING IN A SHELTER

American Dream derailed family ended up living in shelterBY Elizabeth Lazarowitz

Tuesday, December 15th 2009, 5:29 PM

JUST A few years ago, the American dream seemed within reach for Marvin Cortez and Sorange Reyes.

Cortez, 33, and Reyes, 27, who emigrated to Brooklyn from Panama and Puerto Rico in 2005, had a house, a car, two jobs, and a comfortable life for themselves and their kids in Atlanta.

But after a serious illness forced Cortez to quit his job with an airline catering company last year, both he and Reyes found themselves out of work, out of luck and living in a Brownsville homeless shelter.

"I never imagined this," Panamanian-born Cortez said through a translator. "Never."

They are just one of 6,300 Brooklyn families with kids that have applied for temporary housing so far this year, up 21% from the same period a year ago, and up 51% from two years ago.

With the number of homeless families in the city at a record high, the Daily News has partnered with the Brooklyn Community Foundation to highlight their struggles.

Donations to the foundation's Caring Neighbors Holiday Campaign will pay for "Caring Neighbors Kits" filled with books and toys for about 600 homeless kids.

"It's a very simple, human way to bring a bit of joy and excitement and for young people to know that their Brooklyn neighbors do care about them," said the foundation's president, Marilyn Gelber.

Cortez, who this year was diagnosed with anemia caused by a Vitamin B12 deficiency, began having trouble breathing in the spring of 2008, and could sometimes barely walk, he said.

When making ends meet on Reyes' pay as a leasing assistant at an Atlanta property-management firm became overwhelming, the couple, with sons Roy, 8, and Josue, 4, and daughter Amie, 2, moved into the home of Cortez's sister in East New York.

"I sold what I could, and what I couldn't sell, I left," said Reyes. "All we have is our clothes."

Reyes took a job as a manager at a McDonald's in downtown Brooklyn, where the couple had originally met as co-workers years before, but had to quit because of health problems when she became pregnant with son Marvin, now 5 months old, she said.

With no income, another child on the way and 10 people already crammed into a two-bedroom apartment for nearly a year, the family was forced to find other accommodations.

In April, they moved into a shelter run by the nonprofit CAMBA, and the couple began job placement programs.

The upheaval hasn't been easy on the kids. Roy is repeating the first grade, which Reyes believes is the result of the boy changing schools twice in two years.

Although Cortez's health has improved, finding work in a city where the jobless rate has hit a 16-year high has been a challenge. He said he has applied to dozens of jobs and been to about 17 interviews since January. While none have come through so far, he's hoping to snag a position as a baggage porter at Kennedy Airport.

"I feel bad," said Cortez, who dropped out of high school to work, but got his GED in 1998. "I want to find a job and get out of the shelter."

Reyes is hoping to find work as well. "My dream is to be in our own home and be in a stable place for our kids."

My thoughts: Cortez does not speak a word of english, but in the past had some pretty good jobs! Uuummm....They both lost thier jobs (MILLIONS of others have the same problem in the U.S)but they continue having kids!! MORE welfare and food stamps! Uuuummm.... WHAT'S WRONG with this picture??I'm sorry if I seem insensitive, (I dont mean to be)but come on......

Reyes took a job as a manager at a McDonald's in downtown Brooklyn, where the couple had originally met as co-workers years before, but had to quit because of health problems when she became pregnant with son Marvin, now 5 months old, she said.

With no income, another child on the way and 10 people already crammed into a two-bedroom apartment for nearly a year, the family was forced to find other accommodations.

why do careless breeders expect sympathy and bailouts from those of us who limit our families to the children we can afford to house, feed, doctor, clothe, and train to be responsible productive citizens?

News flash, this isn't nor was the 50's version, the original American Dream. AmerD. 2.0 was a setup from the getup, in that it isn't sustainable and the resulting exponential growth and detachment from reality ensures either we rape the world to keep it going(check) or get nuked for raping the wrong country, lastly the operation runs it's course and gets imploded in a reasonably controlled demo op. What do you think you see around you?

EMIGRATION FAIL. Deport them! We want intelligent, hard-working, law-abiding people in this country! We don't need 3rd world mentalities.

Poor people are poor due to their decisions.

Rich people are rich due to their decisions.

Give them each the same amount of wealth in an income redistribution plan, within 5 years poor will be poor again, rich will be rich.

Quoting: Anonymous Coward 838993

I have to agree with your comment, it is a shame that they are in persuit of a better life and end up like this, but again there are many persons that had the same problems and somehow manage to survive and even to prosper